I Could Use A Drink
by writetounravel
Summary: AddiChar. Addison's still settling into LA while Charlotte can't keep her mind off work. They start a rocky friendship, but Charlotte wants a little bit more.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm a total newbie here, so reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome. As of right now I'm thinking three chapters?**

Charlotte sat at her desk staring at the stack of papers in front of her. She twirled her pen and her mind began to drift, but she quickly caught herself. She glanced at the clock to check the time. "Five-thirty?" She muttered. She double checked and sighed. For the third day in a row she had wasted two hours trying to get through that damn paperwork. This was not like her.

"Shake it off King, focus." Her words fell flat.

She ran her fingers through her blonde locks an rubbed her eyes. Normally there was nothing that could distract her, but a certain redhead kept on popping into her head. And for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.

"Fuck this," the blonde decided, pushing herself back from the desk. She would be able to leave in a few hours after she filled in for one of the missing ER docs. Then she could go home. No, she decided. She would go out and get a drink at her favorite bar. Hopefully none of those Oceanside quacks would be there to piss her off. Then again it was only Monday, so she figured she could take her chances.

. . .

Addison leaned back in her desk chair. It was six thirty and she'd only seen three patients all day. She wasn't sure if she loved this free time or hated it. She was used tona thousand surgeries a day, she loved to cut, but she felt like she had more room to connect now. She smiled and settled on the former, she could use the extra time anyway. She was glad to be in a new place, maybe it would do her good. It was certainly different from rainy Seattle or gloomy New York. LA was sunny and happy and devoid of Derek, his twelve year old, Mark, and Alex. Along with all the drama the bunch entailed.

She did miss Callie and their talks though. Webber too. She had Nai here and Sam, but she wasn't settled yet. She needed to find her comfort place, her niche here. She was at least glad she had her old filled out some paperwork and finally decided her work here was done, it was about time she let off some steam anyway, she wasn't used to this whole "California zen" thing that was going on. She needed a drink. Naomi had stayed at home with Maya that day, who had the flu, but surely Sam could hold down the fort. She pulled her phone out of her purse and hit the first speed-dial. Her best friend picked up right away.

"Hey Addie, what's up?" Naomi asked groggily.

"I was just about to leave work, I figured we could both use a drink. Plus you need to get me acquainted with all the bars in town. Wanna go out in a bit?" The red head inquired.

"Right as if you're own supply could ever run dry," she joked, "I would love to Addie, but I'm feeling like crap. I think I might've caught Maya's flu, Sam's coming over to take care of us right now."

"Aw, I'm sorry Nai," she said, her smile turning into a frown. "that sucks, I hope you feel better," she sent a kiss through the coughed loudly and didn't respond for a moment.

"Thanks, sorry about the drinks, I'll make it up to you, God knows I'd rather be out than home like this. I'll text you the name of a good bar though, maybe you'll meet someone. LA's full of hot guys Addie, we gotta get back out there. Sam's here, talk later, love you." She hung up.

Addison groaned, she was not in the mood to meet any guys tonight, her luck in that department was running low. She wouldn't let that stop her though, she was a grown woman. She would go home, put on a nice dress and drink alone. She had earned that much at least. She checked the address Naomi texted her, slipped on her cardigan, and left.


	2. Chapter 2: Sleepovers

**A/N: So right now I'm thinking four or five chapters? Lemme know what you think.**

Addison walked into the bar confidently. She wasn't quite in her element, but she was getting there. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, but she pulled it out. She had dealt with enough uptight as she could handle at Seattle Grace, she was sick of being strung out. She spotted an open seat at the bar, next to a very attractive blonde. The woman was wearing a burgundy dress, revealing plenty of skin. It had been a long time since she'd been with a woman, but she was sick of the men in her life.

"Why not get back on the horse?" She thought, sliding into the seat. She was about to open her mouth and say something clever, when the blonde whirled around. She laughed, of course, just her luck. It was Charlotte King.

She composed herself and greeted the hostile chief of staff "Charlotte King, fancy seeing you here."

Charlottes face arranged itself into an expression of pure shock, she seemed a little starstruck. "That's Dr. King to you," she said, trying to hide her surprise and regain some control.

"Right, well, Doctor King," she chided,"I'm surprised to see you here so early in the week." Although, really she wasn't one to judge, she was here herself on this lovely Monday night. Everyone had their days.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and seemed to give Addison a quick inspection, head to toe, before meeting her gaze. Could it be that Charlotte King, the tiger, ice queen, and merciless chief of staff was checking her out? Addison smirked, Charlottes blush seemed to support her assumption. Then again the chief of staff was only human and really didn't seem do bad. All the names and rumors seemed like they held some truth, but maybe there was more to the blonde than Addison had thought. Besides she was getting her clean slate here in LA, why shouldn't she offer Charlotte the same?

"Can I help you Montgomery?" Charlotte questioned, breaking her concentration, "You were the one who sat next to me, after all. Besides I think you owe me a drink after the whole baby switch fiasco and accusing my hospital of having crap nurses."/p

"I dont believe I said quite that" Addison countered, causing Charlotte to scoff, "but, buy you a drink I will."

"Well okay then yoda," Charlotte joked.

_Charlotte King can make jokes?_ Addison chuckled, it seemed like tonight was going to be full of surprises. She order them drinks and began recounting her high school days as a band geek and a lover of Star Wars, much to her own embarrassment. This managed to illicit a string of giggles from Charlotte, much to both of their surprise, making it worthwhile. For some reason she felt comfortable in her presence.

"So come on Charlotte, I gave you an embarrassing story, it's about time you do the same…" Addison took a sip of her drink and gave her best flirtatious smile.

"Oh no Montgomery, I don't recall agreeing to that. 'Sides I don't get embarrassed. I'm ice cold, remember?" She teased, but there was still some hurt in her eyes. Addison tentatively reached out and covered the petite blonde's hand with her own. Encouraged by the fact that Charlotte didn't pull away she let it rest there. "

I don't know if that's true," she said gently. "I doubt any ice queens would make Star Wars jokes." That got a smile out of Charlotte, who pulled her hand back. She wasn't ice cold, but she wasn't quite that warm either.

"Oh come on," Addison chided, "you must`ve gotten up to all kinds of crazy shit when you were younger."

"Are you accusing me of being a bad girl? Really Addi-Doctor Montgomery..." she stammered, catching her mistake, "how juvenile."

The red head merely waggled her eyebrows and downed her drink. She had had far too much to drink she realized, that is if she intended on remembering tonight.

"Never. I'm just saying you seem like you might've been a little rebellious, that's all."

"Well growing up in Monroville, Alabama that wasn't exactly hard to accomplish," she joked, "I was a daddy's girl, but I never quite followed my mothers guidelines..." She paused for a momenot unsure if she should continue. Addison nodded knowingly, she had a feeling Charlotte's mother might be a bit like her own, before telling her to go on. "I never settled down and became a wife and mother, I just wanted to play with the boys and ride my horse. I guess I never was the Southern belle of a daughter she dreamed about."

This caused Addison to burst into laughter, prompting a scowl from Charlotte.

"See Montegomery this is why I don't tell people things."

"No, no I'm sorry," she wheezed, "I just pictured a mini you in a big poofy dress all scowly and trying to run around. No, I get the whole mom thing. Rich white alcoholic mothers, I know them well."

Charlotte smiled back at her and Addison couldn't help but lick her lips. She stared at the woman's face: the way her smile spread all the way to her soft green eyes, her smooth, cherry red lips, and the way her hair framed her perfect face. It was taking all of Addison's self control to not grab a fistful of the golden curls. Her eyes wandered along the doctor's figure, but snapped back up when she heard Charlotte clear her throat. She must not have been very subtle. She looked back at Charlotte who was grinning smugly at her.

"My eyes are up here," she slurred, reminding the red head.

Addison blushed, "right sorry, I'm a little out of it."

"Mhm, I'm sure," Charlotte replied. She turned around and ordered another round, while Addison caught a glimpse of her seemingly perfect back.

When she looked back their eyes communicated an unspoken agreement.

. . .

Charlotte was pulled out of sleep by the blaring noises spouting from her alarm. She rolled onto her side cursing inwardly; she had forgotten to shut the alarm off last night. L_ast night. What on earth happened to me last night? _She groaned when the pounding in her head made itself present. Well the killer hangover was a good first indication as too the previous night's events. She felt strange and out of place she began to look around her room when her whole body stiffened at a muffled sound next to her. She very slowly shifted her weight to the opposite side of the bed and cautiously turned her neck.

When she saw a mess of bright red hair next to her she had to bit her lip to stop the gasp she almost made. Addison Montgomery was in her bed. She looked around the room again, more closely this time. Or rather she was in Addison's bed. She tried to stay absolutely still and surveyed her surroundings. The perfectly decorated room that looked out over the beach. There was no way anything had happened last night. Addison couldn't be a lesbian.

Hell what did that matter, she wasn't a lesbian. Of course she'd thought about women once or twice, but who didn't? She had thought about Addison here and there. The way her face glowed and her hair burned. And sure she couldn't stop looking at the woman when they were in the same room. And her legs... She shook her head. She was getting sidetracked. She had never been with a woman and she was sure Addison was straight and possibly into Pete if she'd heard correctly. Addison was Pete's not hers.

Regardless her memory of the night before was still hazy. She remembered the bartender taking away both their car keys and her and Addison stumbling into a cab. She remembered Addison giggling and the faint smell of mint and something else. She took a deep breath. Honey. The red head smelled of honey and mint.

Addison's eyelids fluttered open. She moaned and pushed back her hair. Charlotte's eyes widened as Addison's hand slowly ran down her body and she slipped two fingers into her underwear. Her head tilted back and to the left. Her eyes open and she jumped up when she saw Charlotte.

"Were you just gonna watch?" She shouted, pushing her body back to rest on the headboard and pulled the sheets up to cover her body.

"Sorry, I didn't want to...interrupt," she finished raising an eyebrow.

Addison blushed, but quickly brought her hand up to her head. "Okay first off what you just saw was not my idea and I don't do that. And second of all what are you doing in my bed?" She paused and looked startled. "Did I? Did we..?"

Charlotte sighed, "I was just trying to figure out what happened last night myself. All I've got so far is that a lot of drinking occurred, we left the bar together, and after that... But I'm sure we'd know. Wouldn't we?"

"Oh you would know..." Addison chided confidently.

Charlotte chuckled before realizing Addison was topless. Her mouth hung open and her throat went dry. "Addison, you-you're not," she stammered looking down.

"Oh that? Well that's not really a clue, I always sleep naked."

Charlotte licked her lips. "I'm sure nothing happened. So here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna drive us both to work. We're going to forget we got drinks together and I ended up here. We will continue to be colleagues. And that's that." She stated this all simply and clearly, regaining control of the situation. She was embarrassed enough as it was, she would not be made a fool of. Although she had enjoyed the company.

Addison looked hurt. "Come on, Charlotte. We're friends. I know nothing happened, but we did have fun. Besides, I'm new in town and I could use all the friends I can get. There's no need to pull away, I don't bite." Addison smiled slowly at her and Charlotte couldn't help but give in a little.

"Well I'm not an expert on friendship on by any standards, but I don't think this," she gestured at Addison and then the bed, "is how they start."

"Are you kidding? Getting drunk and having sleepovers is the definition of a good friendship. I'll show you the ropes, you'll be an expert in no time."

_I can do sleepovers_.

"Fine, but I'm still driving." She sat up and noticed her dress on the floor. _No big deal, I probably just got hot. _She leaned down to pick it up of the floor before she was interrupted.

"Friends don't let friends do the walk of shame, friends let friends borrow clothes." She pointed to the closet, "pick out whatever you want."

Charlotte walked towards the closet and pulled the doors open. Of course leave it to the chic, world-class surgeon to have an enormous walk in closet. She began rifling through the clothes, designer label after designer label. _ Shit this girl has good taste_. If being Addison's friend meant she could sleep in the redheads bed and borrow her clothes she was in. Of course she'd have to ignore the nagging voice in her head that wanted more.


	3. Chapter 3: Pancakes and Realizations

**A/N: Once again lemme know what you guys think! I'm thinking just another chapter or two for this one.**

Charlotte finally settled on a black pencil skirt and a light blue satin blouse. She figured it was a simple enough outfit, hopefully no one would recognize that it belonged to Addison. She turned around holding the articles in hand and opened her mouth to check with Addison, but found the bed empty. She assumed her new friend went downstairs to get something or get ready and would be right back, but she took her time changing anyway. Today was meant to be her late day, but she wasn't about to go back to sleep. Sleep was for the weak. She was not about to let Addison see her as weak. She gently placed the outfit on the bed and rolled up her dress from the night before, placing it in her purse. She slipped on the blouse and skirt. She zipped up the back of her skirt and began fastening the blouse, but she couldn't quite get the top few buttons done. Her fingers fumbled at the fabric and she groaned in frustration, whipping around when she heard a snicker from the doorway. Addison was standing in the door frame, looking very amused.

"Oh, shut up and button this for me will ya? There's no need to stand there cackling like a damn hyena."

Addison walked over laughing, which was not quite the response she wanted. She was used to making people cower in fear. Interns and residents scampered away at the mere sound of her voice. She had even made a grown neurosurgeon cry once (a moment of great pride). She was a ball-buster, so why did Addison seem immune to her? She shuddered a little bit when Addison ran her fingers up her back.

"You buttoned this all wrong, come on Char, didn't anyone every teach you how to dress yourself?" Addison chided, trying to fix the blonde's mistake.

"I was always better at undressin' myself, so fuck off Montgomery. I'm just tired, your god-damn alarm clock woke me up at six on my late day, and I have a mean headache. And when did we start usin' nicknames? We barely know each other." She knew she was being harsh, but she wasn't about to just let Addison in, simply because they had gotten drunk together.

"Harsh, Charlotte. Friends use nicknames and I'm only teasing." She finished the top button and spun Charlotte around to face her. "You're right, we don't know each other that well. We'll work on that. In the mean time I got started on chocolate chip pancakes, are you coming down or what?" Addison grinned foolishly at Charlotte and she couldn't help the flutter in her stomach.

She turned around and walked out of the room, Charlotte paused for a moment considering her options. She supposed she could try to be friends with the woman, it might do her some good. She would never admit to anyone that she was lonely, but it was a long time since her last friendship and longer since her last relationship. Neither had gone very well and both had ended brutally. She was in no hurry to get her heart clobbered again. She hated putting all her shit on display. Depending on others usually led to disappointment, if experience was of any indication.

On the other hand there had been something missing lately. She lived for work, but she had no one to share her success with. She could go slow, she would just have to be guarded. Guarded was her middle name. She just had to make sure it remained strictly a friendship. She didn't know how she felt about women, but she knew she felt something for Addison. She sighed, sure the red head did not feel the same. She stood in a trance weighing out the pros and cons of the situation.

"Charlotte! They're getting cold!" She snapped out of her daze and headed downstairs. She would at least try.

She walked down the stairs barefoot and was greeted by the overwhelming smell of pancakes. Addison pointed to the table and Charlotte walked over taking her seat. She looked down at the plate in front of her. She had been served a small stack of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and covered with powdered sugar. Addison placed a bowl full of fruit salad in front of her.

"Bon Apetit, hope you like pancakes."

"Who doesn't? You cook like this for all your morning guests?" She questioned in disbelief.

"Normally just the ones I sleep with," Addison mumbled, raising her eyebrows nonchalantly. "But I figured I'd make an exception for you." Addison looked at her expectantly, taking a sip of her coffee. "Well go on."

"Sorry," Charlotte muttered, starting on the dish. "I don't normally eat in the morning." She placed a bite in her mouth and she swore it tasted like heaven. "Holy crap this is amazing."

"Thank you. And you know not eating breakfast is unhealthy right? I mean you are a doctor."

Charlotte glared at her and gave her best "whatever" face. Addison sat down in front of her and began eating.

"I was never a great cook," she said mid-bite covering her mouth.

"What was that? Think you've got something in her mouth," Charlotte teased.

"I _said_: I was never a great cook. I mean no one taught me when I was younger. My mother always said the Forbes-Montgomery women didn't cook. Ask me how to host a dinner party or hold a benefit and I'm you're girl, but cooking was never my forte. But when I was seven every once in a while my dad would wake me up and we'd make breakfast. He wasn't always there, you know the busy parent type. But those mornings he would hold my hand while we mixed the batter and send me to run up and get everyone for breakfast. They were the rare occasions when we all ate together and they became some of my favorite moments. Anyways," she caught herself and ran her hand through her hair, "I'm rambling, sorry."

"No, you're not, I get it." Charlotte wasn't sure what to say. She could swap stories with Addison about unattentive parents, but she had no desire to dredge up all the pain her family had caused her. She was taught to keep her mouth shut. So she just smiled at Addison, hoping to convey some sort of understanding.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Not the unpleasant kind, where you're searching for something to say and silently begging your company to start the conversation. It was the comforting kind of silence. The type that was mutual, not for lack of things to say, but simply because nothing needed to be said. The kind that felt natural. They were comfortable in each others silence and Charlotte was grateful. She wasn't used to expressing every thought or emotion verbally. She got the feeling that Addison was the type of person who liked to share everything and Charlotte wasn't sure if she was ready to absorb it all. So she was grateful when Addison let them eat in a calm sort of silence. Addison got up and cleared the dishes; the silence was broken.

"I'll be right back, feel free to look around," she said hurrying up the stairs.

Charlotte turned around to look around the room. She felt some level of curiosity about Addison's personal life that she was used to. She normally could care less about people's lives. She wandered around the room, running her fingers along the spines of the books on Addison's bookshelves, gently picking up picture frames, looking out the glass doors onto the crashing waves of the beach. She never could get over the sight of the beach. She wasn't used to it growing up and know it was a source of comfort for her. She wondered if Addison felt the same way. Addison had a picture of her, Naiomi, Sam, and two other men, seemingly from her college years. She looked young and carefree in the picture, a side of Addison that she hadn't seen yet. Her books seemed to have been untouched as of late, judging from the thin layer of dust accumulating on top. She couldn't help but smile when she saw To Kill A Mockingbird on one of the shelves. The room made her slightly uncomfortable, it was warm and very zen, yet there was something nice about it.

"Find anything interesting?" Addison inquired, making her way down the stairs.

"You have a nice place. Who are the other two people in this picture?" She held up the frame so Addison could see. She wasn't sure why she asked, but something about the way one of the men was holding her made her feel a pang of jealousy.

"Oh, just some college friends. Derek and Mark, they're not important." Charlotte could tell that wasn't the whole truth, but she figured it wasn't her place to push, so she dropped it.

"Are we set to go?"

"Yeah, one second," Addison pulled her car keys and sunglasses out of a drawer, "all set."

As she sat in the passenger seat of Addison's car, Charlotte was once again overwhelmed by a curiosity about Addison's life. The woman exuded mystery and, not that she really cared about other peoples lives, she was intrigued. She tried to think of a clever question, something that wasn't creepy, but would still satiate her curiosity.

"How are you likin' LA?" she blurted out. _Shit King, that's the best you can come up with? What kinda dumb-ass question was that?_

She was relieved, however, when Addison actually seemed to want to talk about it.

"I don't know, really. When I came to visit before I thought... I think I expected to find magic. You know? I completely turned my life upside down and I don't know if I even fit in here. A part of me wants to go back to Seattle, where it would be easier. I haven't figured out my place here yet, I haven't found my comfort. I'm not this chill California person, I'm a surgeon. I just..." she trailed off, caught up in her own thoughts.

"That makes sense. When I first moved here I felt the same way. I was runnin'. Away from all the crap back home and it took me a long time to fit in. But you've got people here. You'll find your rhythm, we'll get you your magic."

Addison looked pleased, comforted maybe. Charlotte wanted to give her that, the comfort. She didn't know how in the touchy-feely way and normally her first instinct was sex. Neither of those seemed appropriate here. She had an idea.

"You know what? Until you figure it out, you can borrow what comforts me. Meet me tonight, wear something comfortable, athletic and bring sneakers.

Addison looked quizzical. "Are you planning on kidnapping me Charlotte King? Because, just so you know, that is strictly prohibited by our friendship. And also by federal law."

"Just meet me, will ya? Text me your address."

Addison nodded, which was enough for Charlotte. She pulled into the Saint Ambrose parking lot and Charlotte unbuckled her seat belt. She wasn't sure what to say after that, so she just awkwardly slipped out of the car. _Way to be weird King. _Addison waved as she pulled out of the lot. She was going to need to seriously work on her friendship skills.

. . .

The elevator doors opened and Addison walked briskly towards the front desk, snatching the papers from Dell without saying a word. Her headache from this morning was back and she just wanted to go home and sleep. She sat down in her office chair and was tempted to take a quick nap, but decided against it. She wondered what Charlotte had planned. Comfortable and athletic? What on Earth would that entail? She was willing to do it though, if it meant finding something here and sharing something with Charlotte. The door to her office swung open and Naomi smiled at her.

"You look better Nai, symptoms gone?"

"Completely. But you look hungover. Did you get shitfaced alone last night?"

"Not alone, exactly." Addison knew Naomi would want to hear a bunch of details that she wasn't ready to give, but she couldn't lie to her best friend.

Naomi looked immediately interested and pulled up the chair in front of Addison's desk. "Spill."

This was what they did, they told each other everything. Worked through all the drama and boy troubles, even the little stuff. Naomi had been her rock when Derek left her. But she never told her that she had been interested in women before. She didn't even know if that's what this was. She didn't even know if Charlotte would go for women, but regardless she didn't really want to spill to Naomi, not completely, not just yet. She could tell her something, maybe not the whole truth.

"I met someone last night. At that bar you mentioned. I don't really know what it means though. I don't know if we would work, but I really like..." _Not her._ "this person."

She was playing the pronoun game, that took her back. Dancing around who she was interested in, in order to avoid being confronted about her sexuality. She had always seen it as a spectrum and she knew Nai would support her no matter what, but she didn't want to make this a big deal. So she was stuck playing the pronoun game, once again.

"Oh my god. You had sex, didn't you?" Naomi pointed at her and jumped up. "You totally had sex last night."

"What? No...I did not."

"Addison you totally did," Naomi accused with absolute confidence and a cheeky grin. "You have that look. That lusty eye look and glowy after-sex look. I mean it's dampened by the hungover look, no offense, but you totally had sex."

"I don't remember, I honestly don't remember." She got up and walked around, forcing her mind to figure out what had happened the night before. Then it hit her. Not all of it, just little pieces, little flashbacks. The way Charlotte pulled her hair and teased her. The way her lips tasted like cherry chap-stick. She placed her fingers of her lips, dropping her mug of coffee. Shards of the mug went everywhere and the hot brown liquid covered the floor. She couldn't move. She just looked up at Naomi in shock. _I fucked Charlotte King._ So much for that friendship.

"Addison, are you okay?" Naomi beckoned Dell and the two began cleaning up the mess she had made. Naomi laughed at her friend half-amused by her clumsiness and half-amused by her unadulterated surprise. "That must've been some really good sex." Addison nodded, but didn't look too happy. "With the wrong person?" Addison nodded again. She walked over and gave Addison a hug. The red head had always had the habit of choosing the wrong men. "Why is he the wrong person?"

Addison cringed a little bit, she hated when people assumed. To be fair she had never given Naomi a reason to think otherwise and she knew she was just trying to help. Addison let herself fall deeper into Naomi's arms. She so did not want to deal with this. Not now. "I think I like this person, but I don't think they're interested, romantically. We're trying to be friends right now and if I bring up sex, it'll just ruin it all."

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry." Naomi began rubbing circles on her back. "You won't know until you give it a shot though, maybe they could be interested too."

"Yeah maybe." She pulled herself out of the hug. She had needed Naomi's support, but right now she needed to be alone and figure out what to do. "I'm fine, I just need to think for a bit." Naomi nodded and walked out the door.

She sighed and sunk back into her chair. What was she supposed to do? If she told Charlotte... No she couldn't. If she told her that they had sex Charlotte would be freaked out. She wasn't a stranger to being rejected by girls or weirding out homophobes. Then agian she shouldn't be so quick to judge the woman, she'd surprised her many times already. It was Los Angeles after all. And she was hot damnit. She was attractive and smart and good at her job, who wouldn't be interested? The orientation thing did pose a potential boundary though.

Even if Charlotte wasn't freaked out by the bisexual thing, she didn't seem like the type to want relationships. Getting a friendship out of her was going to be hard enough. She didn't want to risk losing the friendship they had just created. On the other hand she was ready to get back on the horse. She was over her Seattle men and Charlotte was the only person she wanted to start seeing. If she didn't tell Charlotte she would remember anyway, wouldn't she? All she needed was a trigger and the cat would be out of the bag. _If I don't tell her, I'll be building a friendship on lies._ But she still couldn't tell her. She went back and forth for a half-hour or so, she had no idea what to do. _I don't have to lie, I just don't have to share. _ There was no reason to get ahead of herself, they barely knew each other, as Charlotte had pointed out. She might not even really be into Charlotte, at this point she didn't know where they stood. She would just have to see how tonight went and figure it out from there. If Charlotte remembered then so be it, if she was interested great. If not... Well she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.


	4. Chapter 4: Addison's Magic

**A/N: I think this might be it for this story, but I may be swayed. I definitely want to work on some other AddiChar ideas and am absolutely willing to take prompts. Feedback is appreciated!**

Charlotte stood in front of Addison's beach house. _Right, well this was a bad idea..._ She should not have expected Addison to be even remotely interested. It was getting late and what if her surprise didn't receive the desired reaction? She turned on her heel and started walking back to her car. She stopped and shook her head. No. She was Charlotte King. She was in charge of over a hundred physicians. She was one of the youngest chiefs of staff in the country. She was smart and attractive and confident and... She could do this. She turned again, marching up to Addison's door. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the sound of the waves behind the house-she wasn't a fan of zen, but at this point she didn't care what it took if it meant her not losing her cool. Her finger hovered over the doorbell, before finally pressing down.

She was clad in short black running shorts and a fitted blue camisole. She had boots and a small backpack on. She suddenly felt the weight of her pack and of the whole situation. She shifted it back and forth between her feet, trying to cool her nerves. She could hear someone rushing down the stairs to the door and then there was silence. She waited for a moment and then the door swung open.

Addison held her hands up, "I hope this is okay..." she gestured at her outfit.

Charlotte took in Addison, in her leggings and sports bra, and swallowed. "Yeah, you look-It's great. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Addison laughed, "but when am I going to learn where we're going?" She asked her question playfully, widening her eyes. Charlotte liked this side of her-the fun, energetic side. Although, she had to admit there seemed to be various sides of Addison that she was a fan of.

Charlotte crossed her shoulders and gave Addison her best stern face (which after years of being the boss had become very convincing). "You'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry, I won't kidnap you, but besides that," she grinned, "all bets are off."

They walked down to the car and hopped in. It felt strange for Charlotte, being excited about a surprise she had planned for someone. She hadn't gotten used to this feeling since... Well, she wasn't going to go there, not now anyways.

The drive to the trail head wasn't very long and was full of laughs, Addison had even accidentally rested her hand on Charlotte's thigh. Her breath had hitched for a moment and frankly it was a miracle they hadn't crashed. It was still strange for them to be joking around. Everything they had learned about each other had completely contradicted all their preconceptions. Charlotte had assumed Addison was just like the rest of the quacks over at Oceanside. And the first time they had met she thought she was a hot mess (which still wasn't altogether untrue). Addison had assumed the opposite, the only things she had known about Charlotte as of two days ago were the things that everyone else had told her. She'd heard that Charlotte was a stone-cold bitch, but it took her no time to realize that wasn't true. They were mysteries to each other, yet it felt as though they understood each other more than anyone else.

After the relaxed car ride Charlotte was tempted not to get out and she was still doubting her spontaneous decision to show Addison one of her places. It was not in her normal character and she still wasn't even sure why she'd done it. She just thought Addison deserved to have the magic she so desperately searched for (and of course extra time with the red head was an added bonus). She turned off the car and opened her door. She turned her head back to Addison, who hadn't moved.

"We're here, let's go." She began stepping out slowly, trying to figure out what Addison was thinking.

"A trail head?" Addison questioned in disbelief. She turned to Charlotte to confirm her hypothesis. "Hiking?"

_Shit. Is this a bad sign?_

Charlotte King was not one to simply allow failure and would certainly not show a faltering confidence. She knew Addison would love what she had in mind if she gave it a chance. She could tell the other woman would get it, even if not that many people would. So she'd have to get Addison on that trail, one way or another.

"Mhm. And you're goin'. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Quit your yappin' and let's go." She successfully got Addison out of the car and shook out her hands. She did not know how this was going to play out.

Addison walked around the car to meet her, shrugged her shoulders, and nodded. "Easy way it is. I can do hiking, why not?"

Charlotte felt relieved. "Then let's get crackin', slow poke." She turned right and Addison followed her lead.

The hike wasn't strenuous, both women were used to working out, and Charlotte wouldn't have chosen a destination that was far away. Still, she couldn't help but turn it into a slight competition. She and Addison began speeding up, she was sure to stay in the lead. Next thing she knew she watched as a flurry of red hair sprinted past her. She took a second to look at Addison's bare back in the near darkness and let her eyes wander a little lower, before running after her.

"You wan't a race Montgomery?" she hollered, cupping her hands around her mouth. She pushed back against the dirt trail, trying to catch up to with the very fast surgeon.

Addison ran backwards for a moment, clearly taunting her. "Come and catch me if you can," she teased.

Charlotte pushed herself harder, forgetting the incline, and zoning in on her competition. Addison was fast, but Charlotte was used to this trail and she had endurance (after all those marathons, how could she not?). Addison gave up and threw her hands in the air, slowing down to a walk. Charlotte ran past her, stopping a few yards away.

"Hmm, you sure you didn't cheat?" Addison asked, her hands now on her knees as she tried to regain her breath.

"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Montgomery," she commanded. "I would never... I won fair and square."

Addison straightened up and walked up to her. "If you say so," she said in a sing-song voice. "Maybe we shouldn't race anymore, just in case."

"Hey you started it," Charlotte accused, before realizing she sounded childish. "But fine, no more races... for now." She slipped her backpack off and bent down to unzip it. She pulled out two water bottles and handed one to Addison, who took it eagerly. She opened her own and downed half the bottle.

Addison wiped off her mouth, closed the bottle, and handed it back. "Thanks."

Charlotte nodded and put the bottles back in her bag. She put it back on and they continued walking. That sprint had exhausted her and thrown her sense of where they were a bit. She squinted to make out the marker a few trees away.

"We're getting close. I'd guess five minutes away." She pulled her hair back into a pony-tail and pointed forward. "The trail gets a little harder to follow, but there are yellow markers all over the place."

"Good, I'm exhausted and it's starting to get dark," Addison responded, looking around.

They walked in silence briefly, each trying to regain their breath.

"It's strange... I was never really a nature person. 'Wasp-ey' Connecticut never left much room for tom-boyish escapades, my mother never would have tolerated days in the woods without access to her closet or hairdryer. And I had an...interesting experience in a trailer in the woods." Addison sped up her pace as she started talking faster and began emphatically gesturing around them. "I mean _this_, is not something I ever really understood. But. I like it, I-," she looked back at Charlotte and stopped walking, "I really appreciate you letting me come here."

Charlotte was taken aback. She wasn't normally appreciated, not like this. She got little thanks for doing much less. No one really thought to thank the same woman who would bark at them and informed them about cuts. The only time they really did was when they wanted something. This was different, Addison was different. She meant it and was grateful for something that to most people would seem inconsequential. It wasn't unimportant to Charlotte though, she had never talked about her night hikes, much less taken someone, but Addison didn't know that.

"Thank you," She replied. And she meant every word of it.

. . .

They began approaching a clearing and as the trees thinned out the view that awaited them became more present. They walked through the last of the thick woods, Charlotte carefully holding a branch back for Addison, making sure it didn't snap back and hit her. Addison stumbled past a bit of bramble wiping her hand across her forehead before looking up. Charlotte watched as Addison saw the sky.

"Holy shit," Addison muttered.

"Yeah its-" Charlotte began.

"Holy shit! I mean...holy shit." Addison was dumbfounded. The sky was littered with stars, each glittering pinpoint seemed to shine brighter than normal. The moon was large and beaming in the middle of the sky. She looked down and saw all the city lights sprawled in front of them. It seemed Charlotte had found the perfect place in-between everything. In the middle of the city and nature. The silence in a storm. Addison raised her hand to her head and met Charlotte's gaze, shaking her head slowly. She didn't know why the view had such an effect on her. Maybe it was due to the long week she had. Or the fact that she had gotten used to Seattle rain and clouds. Or simply because she hadn't seen such a clear sky in ages, or at least she hadn't really _seen_ one. She'd been so wrapped up in her relationships and her work, that she hadn't had a moment to just stop and look. And she told Charlotte so.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlotte smirked at her, clearly pleased with her reaction, "I told you to trust me didn't I and was I wrong?"

Addison laughed, shrugging, "I mean it's okay, I guess. Don't get let it get to your head."

"Oh please," Charlotte drawled, "you're a God-awful liar. And I'm sure not lackin' in confidence."

"No, no you most certainly are not." Addison elbowed her, laughing.

"Ow, that hurt!" Charlotte exclaimed. She pulled back, holding her ribs.

"Oh please, that did not hurt!" Addison scoffed, raising her eyebrows.

Charlotte elbowed her back to prove her point, causing Addison to gasp and nudge her back. Charlotte leaned forward, facing Addison and paused. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for a moment. It felt like a lifetime to Addison. She looked down at Charlotte's lips and the night came rushing back to her. By the time she looked back up, Charlotte was kissing her. Addison parted her lips and let out a soft moan, completely taken by surprise. She didn't think Charlotte would ever kiss her again, at least not while she was sober. They pulled back and Charlotte opened her mouth to defend herself, before realizing that Addison had wanted the kiss as badly as she had.

Addison finally got her magic.


End file.
